United Board For Christian Higher Education In Asia

TO SUPPORT COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES IN ASIA.

THE UNITED BOARD ACCEPTS CONTRIBUTIONS SUPPORTING WORK WITH COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES IN ITS NETWORK IN ASIA. IN COMPLIANCE WITH IRS REGULATIONS, THE UNITED BOARD ACCEPTS SUCH DONATIONS ONLY FOR PROJECTS APPROVED BY ITS BOARD OF TRUSTEES, NOT FOR GENERAL OPERATIONS. APPROVED PROJECTS INCLUDE STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS; LIBRARY SUPPORT; FACULTY DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT, INCLUDING FACULTY SCHOLARSHIPS AND TRAINING; SUPPORT FOR FACULTY SALARIES AND BENEFITS (MERIT PRIZES, PROFESSORIAL CHAIRS, ETC.); SUPPORT FOR A PARTICULAR ACADEMIC DEPARTMENT NAMED BY THE DONOR; PROGRAMS TO ENHANCE CHRISTIAN PRESENCE ON CAMPUS; AND OTHERS LISTED ON THE UNITED BOARD WEBSITE. THE UNITED BOARD REMITS CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE SPECIFIED INSTITUTIONS QUARTERLY AS DESIGNATED GRANTS FOR THE PURPOSE INDICATED BY THE DONORS. THE UNITED BOARD MONITORS THE APPROPRIATE USE OF ALL FUNDS BY REQUIRING REPORTS FROM THE INSTITUTIONS ABOUT HOW ITS GRANTS, INCLUDING DESIGNATED GRANTS, ARE USED. IN FISCAL YEAR 2021, THE UNITED BOARD DISBURSED DESIGNATED GRANTS TOTALING $2,723,778.77.

THE UNITED BOARD'S CURRENT GRANT INITIATIVES FOCUS ON THE FIELDS OF LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT FOR HIGHER EDUCATION; FACULTY DEVELOPMENT FOR ENHANCED TEACHING, LEARNING, AND RESEARCH; CAMPUS-COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS; CULTURE AND RELIGION IN ASIA; AND SPECIAL INITIATIVES. IN THE FISCAL YEAR 2021, THE UNITED BOARD MADE 66 GRANTS TO 49 INSTITUTIONS TOTALING $1,393,624. THROUGH GRANT SUPPORT TO INSTITUTIONS IN ITS NETWORK, THE UNITED BOARD HELPS TO LINK TEACHING AND LEARNING WITH ACTION RESEARCH AND REFLECTION, THEREBY PROMOTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF PURPOSE AND VALUES AS WELL AS THE PURSUIT OF KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS. A TOTAL OF 49 INSTITUTIONAL LEADERS AND FACULTY FROM 24 DEPARTMENTS OF 161 COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES, AND 1,942 FACULTY AND 8,069 STUDENTS WORKING WITH 4,472 LOCAL COMMUNITIES DIRECTLY BENEFITED FROM THESE INSTITUTIONAL GRANT PROJECTS.

THE UNITED BOARD ACCEPTS ENDOWMENT GIFTS TO PROVIDE UNRESTRICTED SUPPORT FOR ITS WORK, AND ALSO ACCEPTS CONTRIBUTIONS FOR TERM AND PERMANENT ENDOWMENTS SET UP FOR A SPECIFIC PURPOSE CONSISTENT WITH THE MISSION AND POLICIES OF THE UNITED BOARD. DISBURSEMENTS FROM ENDOWMENTS ARE MADE ANNUALLY IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE UNITED BOARD'S INVESTMENT AND SPENDING POLICY AND THE TERMS APPROVED BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES GOVERNING EACH ENDOWMENT. IN FISCAL YEAR 2021, THE UNITED BOARD DISBURSED ENDOWMENT GRANTS TOTALING $ 732,484.71.

THE UNITED BOARD ALSO ACCEPTS CONTRIBUTIONS IN SUPPORT OF WORK WITH INSTITUTIONS IN ITS NETWORK IN ASIA, INCLUDING ITS GRANT PROGRAMS AND FACULTY AND LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES. THESE INCLUDE:UNITED BOARD FELLOWS PROGRAM. THE UNITED BOARD FELLOWS PROGRAM PROVIDES EMERGING LEADERS AT INSTITUTIONS IN ITS NETWORK WITH EXPOSURE TO BEST PRACTICES IN UNIVERSITY ADMINISTRATION AND LEADERSHIP. THIS IS ACHIEVED THROUGH PARTICIPATION IN AN INTENSIVE, THREE-WEEK SUMMER INSTITUTE ON UNIVERSITY LEADERSHIP, A ONE- TO FOUR-MONTH PLACEMENT AT A COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY IN ASIA, AND OTHER ACTIVITIES THROUGHOUT THE PROGRAM YEAR. FELLOWS LEARN NEW APPROACHES TO TEACHING, LEARNING AND MANAGEMENT, WHICH THEY CAN SHARE WITH COLLEAGUES AT THEIR HOME INSTITUTIONS. THEY DEVELOP PROFESSIONAL RELATIONSHIPS AND ENDURING NETWORKS AND GAIN GREATER CONFIDENCE, DECISION-MAKING ABILITIES AND A WILLINGNESS TO EMBRACE NEW CHALLENGES. SINCE 2002, OVER 250 MID-LEVEL FACULTY AND ADMINISTRATORS FROM COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES IN ASIA HAVE COMPLETED THE UNITED BOARD FELLOWS PROGRAM AND RETURNED TO THEIR HOME INSTITUTIONS. IN THE FISCAL YEAR 2021, THE UNITED BOARD SUPPORTED NO FELLOWS AND PRESIDENTS, BECAUSE THE PROGRAM WAS SUSPENDED TO ASSESS SERVICE FOR THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR. UNITED BOARD FACULTY SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM. THE UNITED BOARD FACULTY SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM HELPS DEVELOP AND RETAIN OUTSTANDING EDUCATORS AT ASIAN COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES BY OFFERING YOUNG FACULTY MEMBERS THE OPPORTUNITY TO PURSUE ADVANCED DEGREES. HOST UNIVERSITIES IN AUSTRALIA, CHINA, INDONESIA, JAPAN, KOREA, HONG KONG, TAIWAN, THE PHILIPPINES AND THAILAND OPEN THEIR CAMPUSES TO FACULTY SCHOLARS FROM LESS DEVELOPED INSTITUTIONS, OFFERING THEM COURSEWORK, RESEARCH GUIDANCE, EXPOSURE TO NEW STYLES OF TEACHING AND LEARNING, AND A NETWORK OF THEIR PEERS. THE SCHOLARS RETURN TO THEIR HOME INSTITUTIONS WITH PHD OR MASTER'S DEGREES AS WELL AS INNOVATIVE IDEAS AND AN INTERNATIONAL NETWORK THAT ENRICHES THEIR CLASSROOMS FOR YEARS TO COME. IN THE FISCAL YEAR 2021, 21 SCHOLARS BENEFITED FROM THIS PROGRAM, WITH TOTAL SPENDING OF $243,231.79. CONFERENCES, WORKSHOPS, AND SEMINARS. THE UNITED BOARD ORGANIZES AND SPONSORS NUMEROUS LEADERSHIP AND FACULTY DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES, USUALLY COLLABORATING WITH AN ASIAN COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY. THESE PROGRAMS GATHER TOGETHER SELECTED LEADERS, FACULTY, AND ADMINISTRATORS FROM COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES IN THE UNITED BOARD'S NETWORK TO EXPLORE PRESSING ISSUES IN ASIAN HIGHER EDUCATION. IN 2021, THE UNITED BOARD ORGANIZED 6 CONFERENCES; WORKSHOPS, SEMINARS AND TRAINING PROGRAMS ON VARIOUS THEMES IN SOUTH ASIA, THE WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP FORUM; AND PROGRAMS FOCUSED ON DIGITAL LEARNING AND TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION. CLOSE TO 2,316 PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS BENEFITED FROM THESE PROGRAMS.THE UNITED BOARD EXPENDED $49,954.84 ON THESE INITIATIVES IN FY 2021.INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED STUDY OF ASIAN CULTURES AND THEOLOGIES (IASACT). GIVEN THE UNCERTAINTIES OVER THE PANDEMIC, IT HAS NOW BEEN CONVERTED INTO A HYBRID PROGRAM COMBINING ONLINE RESEARCH AND DISCUSSION, AND A CONCLUDING WEEK-LONG RESIDENTIAL SYMPOSIUM IN EARLY JANUARY 2021. THERE WERE SEVEN TEAMS SELECTED, WITH 20 SCHOLARS JOINING THIS OCCASION. SCHOLARS OF 7 DIFFERENT RELIGIONS FROM 6 ASIAN COUNTRIES JOINED THE IASACT PROGRAM IN FISCAL YEAR 2021. SCHOLARS REPRESENTED VARIOUS ACADEMIC DISCIPLINES, INCLUDING THEOLOGY, CHRISTIAN AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES, AND VARIOUS FIELDS IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES.ASHA GRANTS PROGRAM. SINCE THE 1970S, THE UNITED BOARD HAS WORKED WITH THE AMERICAN SCHOOLS AND HOSPITALS ABROAD (ASHA) PROGRAM OF THE U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT TO IMPROVE CAMPUS INFRASTRUCTURE THROUGH CAMPUS ACCESS PROJECTS AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF DORMITORIES AND CLASSROOM BUILDINGS, AS WELL AS IMPROVING LIBRARY AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AT PARTNER INSTITUTIONS. IN THE FISCAL YEAR 2021, THE UNITED BOARD DID NOT RECEIVE OR DISBURSE ASHA GRANTS.PROGRAM EVALUATIONTHE UNITED BOARD REGULARLY CONDUCTS INTERNAL EVALUATIONS OF PROGRAM EFFECTIVENESS. FROM TIME TO TIME, WE ENGAGE INDEPENDENT SCHOLARS TO CONDUCT EVALUATIVE STUDIES ON PROJECTS WE FUND IN COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES IN ASIA AND ON UNITED BOARD-ADMINISTERED PROGRAMS. WE REVISE OUR PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION AND ANNUAL REQUESTS FOR PROPOSALS BASED ON THIS FEEDBACK FROM THE FIELD AND THE REPORTS WE RECEIVE DIRECTLY FROM OUR GRANTEES. BASED ON THE FIVE-TIER MODEL OF PROGRAM EVALUATION OF JACOBS ET AL., THE UNITED BOARD DOES TIER 1 (NEEDS ASSESSMENT), TIER 2 (MONITORING AND ACCOUNTABILITY) AND TIER 3 (QUALITY REVIEW AND PROGRAM CLARIFICATION) REGULARLY. (JACOBS, EASTERBROOKS, BRADY AND MISTRY [2005]).